Cops broke ‘all the rules in the book’

A STATE witness in the Nathaniel Julies murder has described the acts of the police officers who are accused of the murder as insubordinate.

Colonel James Chauke from the Eldorado Park police station, gave evidence yesterday for the second time at the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court. Chauke, who has been in the SAPS for 29 years, said the events which took place after Julies was shot were something he had never seen before.

On Wednesday, Chauke testified that he was at home when an officer called to speak to him about the incident.

He said after going to see the deceased at the hospital, he went to the police station and met accused number two Simon “Scorpion” Ndyalvane, who handed to him a shotgun which allegedly fired the fatal shot.

“I asked Ndyalvane why he was only handing to me a shotgun without rounds, and he told me that he had only booked out a shotgun. This was something out of the ordinary, as an officer you always book a rifle with rounds,” said Chauke.

Chauke added that he saw a belt around Ndyalvane’s waist with rounds but he could not see the colour of these rounds. He said he did not know where the accused had received these from. An example of a belt the accused wore on the day was shown in court and handed in as an exhibit.

It was also known to the court that Ndyalvane allegedly picked up the body of Julies after he was shot and put it in the back of the van and drove to Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital.

Chauke said transporting an injured person in the back of a van went against protocol, which was to call relevant role-players such as an ambulance. “In this instance an ambulance, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate and station commander should have been notified and attended to the boy,” said Chauke.

Later on the day Julies was shot, Chauke received a call from accused number 3, Voster Netshiongolo, who was at the murder scene. Netshiongolo asked Chauke to come to the scene.

Chauke said when he arrived at the scene, he did not understand why it was not cordoned off.

The matter was adjourned for cross-examination today.